Expected by Whom? - An Analytics & Eye Test Hockey Podcast · Winged Wheel Podcast Network

MSU Head Coach Interview - Adam Nightingale - Ep. 22

·33 min·2 clips

Artie Lushanyov might be a top-three NHL draft pick, but Nightingale says his humility stands out most.

The host opens by handing over intro duties for the first time. He welcomes Michigan State hockey coach Adam Nightingale, who arrives fresh off a Big Ten championship in both the regular season and postseason and after his second season at Michigan State. The first questions stay on the rebuild. Nightingale says it has been a blast and a fun two years, and he connects that feeling to a proud program where he played, including time with his younger brother, and to a state he calls a great hockey state. Michigan State's tradition keeps coming back into the frame. He says the hire came with the job of helping get that tradition back, and he makes clear that the work is easier when it is done with good people. The conversation turns to analytics. Nightingale says a staff member with the right background helps the staff decide what is actually valuable. He grounds that in the length of college hockey's season. With only 25 games, he says the stats do not really start to matter until late, and by then the team has about nine games left. That is why he wants caution before leaning too hard on the numbers. He says coaches have been doing analytics for years, even when they did not call it that. Scoring chances become the main example. He says the staff spends most of its time asking why the team creates them and why it gives them up. That question then feeds practice planning and the search for areas the team already does well and areas it still needs to grow. The hosts push on the definition. Nightingale says coaches around the country would debate whether a given play counts as a chance, and he says consistency matters. He says one person should do the charting and names Jared DeMichael as the person who tracks scoring chances for and against. He sketches the home plate area from the goal line to the face-off dot and up to the top of the circles. The interview closes with Nightingale telling parents that a child's dream, drive, and commitment matter more than the amount of coaching help adults think they can provide.

As heard by us

Adam Nightingale offers a focused look at Michigan State's rebuild, with scoring chances and program building at the center.

The piece offers a clear look at Michigan State's rebuild from the inside, with Adam Nightingale reflecting on year two, the pull of a proud program, and the work required to bring it back to its standard.

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Why you'd press play

Adam Nightingale talks through Michigan State's rebuild, fresh off a Big Ten championship, and the scoring-chance math stays plain enough to follow.

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